[redneck]

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Hold your horses: Electric cars won’t go mainstream, Honda says

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/h...ainstream/?amp

“EVs will not be mainstream,” company boss Takahiro Hachigo bluntly told industry trade journal Automotive News. His comments echo the ones made earlier in 2019 by Klaus Frölich, BMW’s chief engineer. Hachigo also cast doubts on autonomous tech. “The hurdles to battery electric vehicles and complete autonomous driving are still quite high,” he added.

While Hachigo acknowledged the need to make cleaner cars, he explained Honda will focus on gasoline-electric hybrid systems to reduce its fleetwide emissions. The technology is seen by some as a compromise, but it’s a good one because it reduces fuel consumption (and, consequently, emissions) without the range limitations and long charging times associated with many electric cars. The executive opined that regulations, not demand, is driving electric car sales.

“I do not believe there will be a dramatic increase in demand for battery vehicles, and I believe this situation is true globally. There are issues with infrastructure and hardware. There are different regulations in different countries, and we have to abide by them. So, it’s a must to continue research and development, but I don’t believe it will become mainstream anytime soon,” he stated. He also ruled out forging a partnership with a rival to develop battery-powered cars.

And...



Don’t ditch gasoline just yet: BMW argues electric cars are overhyped

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/b...are-overhyped/

BMW is spending millions of dollars developing electric cars that motorists don’t want to buy, according to the head of its research and development. The German company needs to add battery-powered cars to its portfolio to comply with the draconian emissions regulations coming into effect soon in the early 2020s in key markets, including Europe, but it doesn’t expect electric cars will outsell gasoline-powered models anytime soon.

“There is no customer request for battery-electric vehicles. There are regulator requests for battery-electric vehicles,” explained Klaus Frölich, the man who oversees BMW’s research efforts, in an interview with Australian website Motoring.

It appears that the last nail in the coffin of Internal Combustion Engine will be further down the road.

Well, at least for Honda and BMW.







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